SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 26, 2026) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team opened its 2026 campaign on Thursday afternoon with a 14-13 defeat to the Lancers of Worcester State University, coming back from as many as five down, but could never find the lead back, dropping a 14-13 contest. 

Records:

• Western New England: 0-1
• Worcester State University: 1-0

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Western New England opened the game with the first two goals, one coming 53 seconds after another. Carlie Francis earned WNE's first goal of the season on an unassisted tally, while Sydney Miles picked up her first on an assist from Allison Cyr, giving the Golden Bears a quick 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest. 
• From there, Worcester State found its stride, seeing its leading returner from last season, Molly Witkowski, open the scoring for the season with a goal to get the Lancers rolling. Witkowski's goal sparked a run of six straight goals in the quarter to end the frame as Witkowski came up with two in the frame, the first and the last, to give Worcester State a 6-2 lead after the opening 15 minutes of play. 
• The Lancers had 12 shots in the quarter while the Golden Bears managed just four shots, two on goal, in the opening period. WNE's Emily Picolla made a pair of saves between the pipes.

Second Quarter:

• Worcester capped off their run of goals with a tally 21 seconds into the second quarter when Meghan Hefferman found twine to give the Lancers a 7-2 lead. The Golden Bears fought back quickly, coming back from down five to get back within one in just under five minutes of action. 
• Ella Henry picked up three of WNE's four goals during the run while Carlie Francis added her second of the game to give the Golden Bears six on the afternoon, trailing 7-6 with 8:55 remaining in the quarter. The Lancers had the next goal, grabbing a two-goal lead again, but the Golden Bears rallied from down a pair and evened the score. 
• Sydney Miles brought WNE back within one on an assist from Lina Eves, while Francis had a hat trick of goals to even the score at eight with 3:58 to play in the half. Worcester State answered with a goal from Maryl Hooper just 25 seconds after the Francis goal to give the Lancers a 9-8 lead, one that stood at the end of the second quarter. 
• Western New England took eight shots on goal in the second quarter while WSU had five. 

Third Quarter:

• Lina Eves had Western New England even with the opening goal of the third quarter, tying the game at nine. Worcester State answered with the next two goals to snag an 11-9 lead. 
• In a back-and-forth third frame, Eves found twine again for WNE to get the Golden Bears back within one, while Ella Nish found the back of the net for the first time this season to tie the game at 11. Western New England could never get over the hump and retake the lead in the quarter, seeing the game remain tied at 11 after three quarters of play.
• WNE had five shots on goal in the third period. Emily Picolla made two saves on four Worcester State shots on goal. 

Fourth Quarter:

• WSU's Molly Witkowski netted her fourth goal of the game just 1:43 into the fourth quarter to give the Lancers a 12-11 lead. Worcester State added another goal when Meghan Bowen netted her third of the game with 10:12 to play, adding to the Lancers' lead. 
• Western New England had an answer when Ella Nish and Carlie Francis continued to score for the Golden Bears, grabbing back-to-back goals to tie the game at 13 with 7:38 to play. WNE won the ensuing draw control and had a chance on goal, which was saved by WSU's Cadence Oleniak. 
• The Lancers scored with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Maryl Hooper had her third goal of the night to once again give Worcester State a 14-13 lead. The Golden Bears would turn the ball over on its final offensive chance of the game as Hooper's goal ended up being the game-winner, giving the Lancers a 14-13 win over WNE in the season opener. 

Inside the Lines:

• After opening the game with a 2-0 lead, WNE would fall behind by five, and could never retake the lead in the game, seeing the Lancers hold off the Golden Bears on their home field. 
• Carlie Francis, in her collegiate debut, scored four goals and added an assist for WNE. 
• Ella Henry produced three goals on six shots on goal, coming up with two ground balls, two caused turnovers, and five draw control victories. 
• Lina Eves (2G, 1A) and Sydney Miles (2G, 1A) also contributed to the WNE offense. 
• Emily Picolla made eight saves for Western New England between the pipes. 
• Molly Witkowski led the Lancers with four goals and three assists, good for seven points. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will travel to Smith College on Saturday, February 28 at 12:00 PM for the first road contest of 2026.